Thursday, December 24, 2009
gingerbread
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
winter wonderland
Thursday, December 17, 2009
10
Big Mac – United States
I know, I know…how can I even call myself an American?! But its true, I’ve never had a Big Mac. 540 calories of “two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun” – what’s not to love?
Macaron – France
Not to be confused with coconut macaroons (which I have had and LOVED) - these are French pastries. They are made from two thin cookies with a cream/ganache center. And best of all…they are come in bright colors!
Princess Cake – Sweden
One of my biggest goals as an aspiring baker is to make a Swedish Princess Cake. Not only are they beautiful, but they sound SO delicious. The cake is made from alternating layers of cake, pastry cream, and jam, and topped with marzipan. Here’s a little history about the Princess Cake.
Potato Pancakes (Latkes) – Germany
I’m not really sure how I haven’t had these before, because I feel like most people have, but for whatever reason I haven’t and I want to. They seem simple enough – grated potato & egg fried in a pan.
Pineapple Bun (Buo Luo Bao) – China
Yes, a huge part of the reason I want to try this bread is because it is in the shape of a cute little turtle! From what I understand it’s a Chinese pastry that is similar to a sugar cookie in bread form. And little known fact…the traditional version does not even use pineapple. Not sure where the pineapple part came from…
Fried Plantain – Jamaica
Pretty self explanatory…a plantain, fried. I’ve never even had a regular plantain before, but I like bananas and they are similar, right?
Tea & crumpets – England
Crumpets are similar to English muffins in looks & texture, but they are actually made from flour and yeast and are supposedly pretty bland on their own (which is why they are usually served with butter, jam, clotted cream, etc.) I think drinking tea and eating crumpets would make me feel sophisticated.
Fairy Bread – Australia
A quick way to induce a sugar coma would be to consume fairy bread. Basically, it is white bread, spread with butter, and covered in sprinkles (which the Australians call “hundreds of thousands”) Traditionally it is cut into triangles and served at kid’s birthday parties, but sometimes you can find them in fun shapes too.
Lychee – Madagascar
A lychee is described as a “fragranced fruit with a sweet taste.” The only place I’ve ever seen them in real life is at the toppings bar for Pinkberry which makes me believe they must be good if they are offered as topping for frozen yogurt.
Peanut Satay – Thailand
I’ve never had Thai food, but the combination of grilled chicken and spicy peanut sauce really intrigues me.
Yes, I realize that most of my “must-try” food options are either a) fried or b) sweets. You only live once you know.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
blueberry muffin
What's the difference between a blueberry muffin pop tart and a frosted blueberry pop tart? I was asking myself the very same question, so I tried the new blueberry muffin pop tart for myself. I gotta say, in a weird way, it really does taste similar to a bluberry muffin. I think the main difference lies on the inside, which is creamy and not quite as tart as the regular blueberry muffin.
Toasted: Before I even took a bite, I already hated the blueberry muffin pop tart toasted. Why? Because I burnt my fingers on the frosted top trying to take the stupid thing out of the toaster. No wonder they put those warning labels on the boxes…the inside was gooey, messy, and spilled all over the place.
Frozen: It was good, not a standout by any means, but yummy nonetheless.
As Is: Like I said, I don’t know how they did it but the taste really imitated a blueberry muffin.
Pop Tart fact: Post originally came up with the idea for the poptart and called them “Country Squares” – original.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
c is for cookies
Last night we had a big cookie swap with the girls. It was fun and super delicious! I made “Irresistible Graham Cracker Cookies.” Jess found the recipe for me a la a Kroger graham cracker box and let me just tell you I treated this recipe like gold. I thought for sure this was some sort of overlooked secret. Ehhhh…I was wrong. It’s not that they were bad, they just weren’t spectacular. But just listen to these ingredients – graham cracker, coconut, walnuts, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips…doesn’t that just sound like a recipe for success? Truth is, I found them to be pretty “resistible” esp. compared with the lime meltaway, chewy ginger, and peppermint pinwheel cookies I found myself surrounded with last night. Yum!
Oh – I almost forgot – Loisann came to visit me this weekend! It was so much fun to just spend the weekend shopping, eating, watching movies, pampering ourselves, and doing all sorts of other fun girl things that best friends do. We even decorated these gingerbread men…what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Thursday, December 10, 2009
unraveling
Sunday, December 6, 2009
tubby cakes!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
2X MINE
Monday, November 30, 2009
19 hours.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
new york state of mind
Monday, November 23, 2009
new kicks
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
wannabe
I’ll admit it…I’m a wannabe. And my newest obession? Running (gasp!) It all sort of happened last week after Jess and I were leaving Zumba, another one of my current obsessions. We were on our way out when we saw a sign for the Jingle Bell Fun Run and without much hesitation we said, “Ok, lets do it.” This is not unlike us at all. Two years ago we signed up, dressed like ninja turtles, and ran a midnight 5k on the day of the race. When we got home that night we researched 5ks, 4-milers, half marathons, and most importantly, race training programs. I’ve been wanting to run a half marathon for a while now, specifically the Princess Half Marathon in Disney World, but when I asked my doctor if I could run one he said “No.” Ummm…back up, what you really mean is SHOULDN’T run one. Saying I “can’t” run one is just setting me up for a challenge. I blame high school sports for ruining running for me. Not only did they physically destroy my knees, but the sprint, sprint, hurl, sprint, repeat exercises in field hockey and soccer mentally forced me to associate bad thoughts with running as well. Darn those bum knees – such a sweet story that started with MRI visits and ended with knee braces. Anyways, in true wannabe fashion Jess and I got up on Saturday morning and headed over to Riverside Runners to get fitted for some new kicks. We explained to the girl helping us that we were training, and we looked at things like flavored energy shots to make us seem legit. Afterwards we headed down to the Blackwater Creek Trails for our first training sess. Jess and I make a good pair when training b/c she is naturally pessimistic and I am naturally optimistic – so we find a healthy balance between “we aren’t going to make it to the finish line” and “we are going to get first place!!!” The race we finally settled on is in Raleigh in February and the proceeds go to cancer research, which is great for us because cancer has hit us close to home.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
banana split
Ok, I've been majorly slacking on the pop tart project, but cut me some slack - in the past few weeks I moved & got a new job. This pop tart definitely makes up for my laziness. I say this probably makes my top 3 so far for sure. And can I preface this post by asking...could you possibly think of a better pair than banana and chocolate? The answer is NO my friends (though Tina Fey & Amy Poehler make a close second) Onto the goods...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
catch 22
Thursday, November 5, 2009
these are my confessions...
I hope the people at work do not think I have a bladder problem. Truth is, I don’t really have to go to the bathroom that often…I guess I’m just scared of dying. I read an article in Women’s Health magazine that said, “The longer you spend sitting each day, the more likely you are to die an early death – no matter how fit you are.” I spend 8 hours a day sitting. Can I get a definition of “early”?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
today's exercise: running late
AWESOME AUTUMN COOKIES
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter (softened)
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup caramel bits
10-12 caramel apple Hershey kisses (chopped)
10-12 pumpkin spice Hershey kisses (chopped)
2 tablespoons white sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix together pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of white sugar. Set aside.
3. Unwrap and chop hershey kisses into bits. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Set aside.
5. Cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a large bowl.
6. Beat in pudding mix.
7. Add vanilla and eggs, beating after each egg.
8. Blend in the flour mixture.
9. Stir in caramel bits & chopped hershey kisses.
10. Roll dough into small balls and roll the balls in the sugar mix, until completely covered.
11. Place cookie dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
12. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
* The caramel apple kisses are super sticky, but don’t get frustrated and give up when chopping them – they taste amazing in the cookies!
* Also, if you have caramel bits on the bottom of your cookie dough ball, consider putting a little flour on the cookie sheet. The caramel bits have a tendency to stick.